Finding Sanctuary

“Sanctuary, on a personal level, is where we perform the job of taking care of our soul.”

~ Christopher Forrest McDowell

"Soul Full Sanctuary" may seem like a strange choice for the name of a Nature Photography business. But in many ways, finding and providing sanctuary has become a significant part of my life's purpose.

Perhaps when you think of a sanctuary, the image of a church or other sacred place of worship is what springs to mind. The word 'sanctuary' definitely has a spiritual connotation. It refers to those special spaces and places in our lives to which we turn for protection during life's storms. Where we know that we will be safe, secure and comforted, especially when we feel most vulnerable. Our spaces of sanctuary are deeply personal - they are where we let down our guard and find:

Shelter and refuge: an escape from any harm or stress in our lives
Nourishment & healing for our bodies, minds and spirits
Rest and relaxation to help us recharge and rejuvenate
Harmony & peace: a freedom fom unease and discord around us

I couldn't survive very well without my places of sanctuary. They are my lifeline, as necessary to me as the food that I eat to fuel my existence.

HOME

I have always been a homebody, and creating a deeply peaceful and uplifting environment in my home is a priority in my life. This is where I can turn down the volume on the "outside roar" of the world and nourish the values and way of life that matter most to me. And in each home we've lived in, there are always those special nooks where I end up spending the majority of my time. In our most recent home, it's a chaise in the four-season sunroom. There, surrounded on three sides by windows looking out over nature, my little maltese curled up next to me, I find deep comfort and contentment.

HOME

"The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned."

~ Maya Angelou

NATURE

Nature has always been a healing balm for my spirit, my ultimate escape when the man-made world makes little sense. It always welcomes me to come as I am: happy, sad, overwhelmed, angry, it makes no difference what is present inside me. There are no expectations and no judgements. Mother Nature wraps me in her comforting embrace and for a while a deep sense of peace and acceptance of whatever "is" comes over me. I feel connected to the whole, breathing in unison with all that surrounds me. This is when I know that I belong, that I am free, that I am enough and that all is as it should be.

PEACE IN EVERY STEP

"Peace in every step. The shining red sun is my heart. Each flower smiles with me. How green, how fresh all that grows. How cool the wind blows. Peace is every step. It turns the endless path to joy." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

PHOTOGRAPHY

When I am armed with my camera, I am in my most mindful state of being. Time seems to take on a different dimension and I become completely immersed and lost in the present moment. There is no past, no future that occupies my mind, simply the exquisite details of the here and now. It's as if everything other than what I'm focusing on through my lens, becomes suspended in time around me. Until I "snap" out of it and time resumes it's march around me once again. This is how I meditate, how I pray, how I commune.